• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

[Ne] INFPs, how have you better developed your Ne?

TheEmeraldCanopy

New member
Joined
Jan 4, 2009
Messages
280
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w3
How can you tell if you are better developing or utilizing Ne?

What have you done or can you do to actively encourage the growth of this function?
 

Cloudblue

Amazing Spambot!
Joined
Dec 30, 2009
Messages
152
MBTI Type
INfP
Enneagram
9
I think i have, the best way I find to encourge this growth is use your imgination with your environment...

Example: typology central, what do you think can make it better? or how can you go green? or how to stop procrastination. Think of all the possiblities...
 

OrangeAppled

Sugar Hiccup
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Messages
7,626
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
No one only uses one function, so I feel that any person's main judging function & main perceiving function are going to be utilized quite a bit, but the position it holds may change the way these functions interact (so to speak), as the dom function will lead. So basically, an INFP is going to use Ne all the time just to function in life.

I know that I identify as strongly with being iNuitive as being a Feeler, maybe more so in some ways. I'd say I am an imaginative and creative person much more than an empath (although, I'd argue that the abstract thought process of Fi is rather imaginative in nature, being associated with images, atmosphere, tones, etc, as much as an internal voice).

The biggest challenge may be making sure that I am relatively unbiased in my perception - meaning, I don't only accept what information suits my feeling.

Then there's the occasional Fi Si loop, where applying Ne may get you out of the rut. It's simply a matter of getting perspective; looking at possibilities for change in the future to get over emotions & experiences from the past. I think that is a rather human problem as much as an INFP problem....

I'm sure we've all seen this page, but I think it paints a good picture of an INFP using sufficient Ne to overcome some weak areas (although I'd argue there's some Si & Te action happening also):

http://www.personalitypage.com/INFP_per.html
 

INTPness

New member
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
2,157
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
How can you tell if you are better developing or utilizing Ne?

What have you done or can you do to actively encourage the growth of this function?

By acting like a complete goon. :hi:

Seriously though, I was talking to someone the other day (someone I was meeting for the first time), and after the conversation was over, I realized that I had been "all over the place" during the conversation. Not in a bad way, but I was curious because he had an interesting life, so I would ask him a question, he would answer it (probably only partially) and then I'd immediately have a follow up question. He'd answer that, and I'd ask another question that would take the conversation in an even new direction.

In about 7 minutes of conversating, we discussed track and field, baseball, job openings, life ambitions, political orientation, where each other was born/raised, and how that affected our outlook on life. It was just rapid fire - one topic leading right into the other.

People have got to think either 1 of 2 things when they experience this from Ne users:

1. I can't keep up with him. He's loony!
2. What an interesting and curious person.

To practice using Ne, just give it free reign. Allow it to take you where it wants to go. Ne is almost like radar - it "picks up" so many things, sees so many possibilities in the environment. Ask the questions, go exploring.

Ne is when you go to a bookstore or a library, pick up a random book on the life of some writer and in the first few pages it mentions how his wife did some great things. So, you put that book down and go do a search for a book about his wife. You find one, you start reading about her and all the things she did. You find out that she made some important discoveries in the field of genetics, one of which really sounds interesting. So you go and find a book about that specific discovery in order to learn what exactly it is. You start reading that and it talks about the role that genetics plays in your personality as an adult. This is great because you just found a topic that would fit very nicely into your Master's thesis.

Exploring with no limits. Asking all the questions that come into your head and then seeking out those answers.
 

Snuggletron

Reptilian
Joined
Sep 25, 2009
Messages
2,224
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
10
Sort of going off of what OrangeAppled said, I've used it strongly my whole life. It is my numba one perceiving function.

You may be able to relate to me if you think about how you thought growing up. Did you take daily situations and then predict certain hidden things about them all the time? even when it wasn't needed? Does your humor rely on making longshot connections with things to pick out the absurdity in them? Did you often draw up possibilities about things based on information that wasn't actually visibly available?
 

FalseHeartDothKnow

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
279
MBTI Type
INFP
Not sure if this is INFP typical but...since Fi is so personal and I find not a lot of people around me can always relate, I absorb my outside 'unknown' surroundings through Ne, then put it through my trusted Fi system, before perhaps even applying some Si to see what I felt about the last time I was in a similar situation, and maybe even thinking of a song to match up emotionally...To put it simply, the most precious thing about Ne in my case, is how it works with my Fi values to create utopian situations in my head, which help me to heal myself if what is concrete becomes stressful.

In the real world though, I find Ne seems to have a very inquisitive nature, so I feel that sometimes I have to keep it at bay rather than allow it to grow too much, or else people might find it intrusive in conversation, as someone mentioned earlier. However, if an INFP did want to put it to some good use, the Fi/Ne combination might make a good foundation for a writer, especially in the genre/subject they feel most passionate about.

A downside of Ne is sometimes the inability to limit the number of ideas/possibilities which are hypothetically available, making the conception of say, a story seem really easy, until the point comes where 'nailing down' ideas and sticking to them quite hard at times...Hope that is a help.

Kind Regards
FalseHeartDothKnow
 

BlueScreen

Fail 2.0
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
2,668
MBTI Type
YMCA
Date an ENFP. It's sure to reduce your seriousness, direction and normality to zero :).

Other ideas:

- take everything you value, everything you do to feel safe, and everything you define yourself by, and disprove it for entertainment.
- while driving, try to think of 50 ways you could unexpectedly die between your home and work.
- connect all the random symptoms you have had over the last year and try to find possible deadly diagnoses on google.
- think of the most sensible way to do something, then challenge yourself to achieve it doing the opposite.
 

yvonne

A passer by
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
534
MBTI Type
INfP
Enneagram
5w4
i have one example of using Ne in conversation. with someone who gets it, it's great! you start with whatever pops into your head and go free flow from there. some people don't like it, but it can make a very entertaining conversation and you'll probably end up knowing something you had no intention of knowing... and you'll probably end up in stitches :D

Ne to me is also how INTPness described it. :) ... and you can totally start wondering... like you see something and you'll imagine what it could be... and you go kick a snowball on your way to the park and you take a different route on the way back... Ne is pure fun, really... :D
 

FalseHeartDothKnow

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
279
MBTI Type
INFP
Date an ENFP. It's sure to reduce your seriousness, direction and normality to zero :).

Other ideas:

- take everything you value, everything you do to feel safe, and everything you define yourself by, and disprove it for entertainment.
- while driving, try to think of 50 ways you could unexpectedly die between your home and work.
- connect all the random symptoms you have had over the last year and try to find possible deadly diagnoses on google.
- think of the most sensible way to do something, then challenge yourself to achieve it doing the opposite.

Wow, a few of those seem rather challenging, lots of death, disease and general discomfort going on there, but it's actually quite refreshing to see some darker uses for Ne that don't involve how many ways you can murder people.
 

CrystalViolet

lab rat extraordinaire
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
2,152
MBTI Type
XNFP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Don't you walk into a room and just notice random things, which could have interesting uses, or trigger a whole story in your head, or an unusual association?
Or imagine all the possible ways, an important converstation could go. The multiple response you could get during a speech.
A good idea is plan a holiday, and imagine all the possible scenaros you coud be in (it's a bitch packing when you think like that though). It's like breathing to me, I just do it.
 

BlueScreen

Fail 2.0
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
2,668
MBTI Type
YMCA
Wow, a few of those seem rather challenging, lots of death, disease and general discomfort going on there, but it's actually quite refreshing to see some darker uses for Ne that don't involve how many ways you can murder people.

Murder and psychos are common topics, just thought I'd avoid them :).
 

JivinJeffJones

New member
Joined
Apr 25, 2007
Messages
3,702
MBTI Type
INFP
Hang out a lot with ENFPs. ENTPs would probably work too, but not as well since there are significant other differences to muddy the waters and flip you back into Fi. Hanging out with ENFPs on the other hand (especially those with compatible values) targets your Ne, for that full Ne workout you never thought you had the time for anymore!

It's like learning a language. The quickest way is full-immersion. Plus, hanging out with ENFPs is super-fun, and they seem to enjoy the company of INFPs too.
 

FalseHeartDothKnow

New member
Joined
Nov 20, 2009
Messages
279
MBTI Type
INFP
On the topic of creating stories mentioned by Firey, if films/books are of interest maybe:
Take your favourite characters and place them in different situations just to see how you think they'd react. What would you say if you could meet them?
Examples​

1. How would HP3 have been different if Doc Brown took Harry to save Sirius in the DeLorean rather than Hermione with the Timeturner, would Doc and Sirius clash or connect?..I imagine both being ENTP they'd probably be ok) How would that turn out?

2. What if Gandalf had sent Frodo to destroy the ring on one of those dragon-type things, was there a reason he made him walk,or did he forget they existed for a second? (This might be explained but I forget the books now)

3. If two characters of the same actor met up would they freak out (say Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka of Johnny Depp for example) would it be paradoxical in any way? Would they know they were created?

Silly stuff like that
 

OrangeAppled

Sugar Hiccup
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Messages
7,626
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
- take everything you value, everything you do to feel safe, and everything you define yourself by, and disprove it for entertainment.
- while driving, try to think of 50 ways you could unexpectedly die between your home and work.
- connect all the random symptoms you have had over the last year and try to find possible deadly diagnoses on google.
- think of the most sensible way to do something, then challenge yourself to achieve it doing the opposite.

This is stuff I do without trying (minus the hypochondriac part - Fi calls BS on that line of thought :tongue:).

The imagining death scenarios is almost out-of-hand, so that it has started to feel like some foreboding vision. I was thinking of making a thread about these random, violent images of death that pop into my brain quite frequently (not to worry - these are not suicidal or homicidal in nature & they don't even really frighten me, so no paranoia).

And yeah, I've been friends with many ENFPs, and I can tell you that beyond the surface (as they will always seem zanier & more vivid to acquaintances), I am always the more imaginative & strange of the two. The ENFPs are going along with MY random ideas (but they conveniently get the blame if it goes sour - no one suspects the quiet, gentle INFP, muwhahaha :devil: ).
 

luminous beam

♪♫♪♫♪♫
Joined
Feb 12, 2008
Messages
744
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
2w3
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Ne brings forth an infinite chain effect inside my head referencing memories, experiences, past and present thoughts within and feeling. For example: Thinking of an infinite chain got me to visualize and recall building a paper chain, which makes me think of arts and craft time at school, which makes me think of those short tables and chairs in kindergarten, which makes me think of rounded scissors, making me think of the craft scissors that cut different shapes like wavy ones, which makes me think of ocean waves, salty water, wet sand, oysters, hermit crabs, painted shells, pretty shiny colors, nailpolish, lipstick, luscious lips, tongue licking lips, sexy kisses, an old crush, my current SO, his cute face, messy hair, brings up a warm feeling within, it made me smile, makes things feel all right....etc etc etc. It is never ending!!! All these thoughts took so much longer to type than to think of, these happen instantaneously.
 

disregard

mrs
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
7,826
MBTI Type
INFP
I would say trusting your perception and making perceptive connections (inwardly or outwardly) regularly is a good way to sustain sharp Ne.
 

yvonne

A passer by
Joined
Mar 1, 2010
Messages
534
MBTI Type
INfP
Enneagram
5w4
make art, enjoy art, make connections, engage, let go... write free association/ flow.
 

Sauropsidian

New member
Joined
Jul 20, 2009
Messages
28
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Find an ENFP! xD
I've got a good ENFP friend who I'll occasionally go extroverting with, it's quite fun actually :p
 
Top